City Dog Goes to Macon: A Pet-Friendly Getaway to Georgia

[Ella]

Ella here, reporting for duty. It’s been a few months since I last checked in, but that’s because Mom and Dad have left me behind a ridiculous amount while they’ve traipsed about far-off lands like Virginia and Kentucky.

It’s downright rude if you asked me (and you did, since this is my blog and all). So when they told me they were going to Georgia, I put my paw down. I would not stay behind any longer.

City Dog revolts, y’all!​

If my memory serves me correct, I’ve been to a couple dozen states in my impressive six years on this Earth, but only to Georgia once when I ruled over Barnsley Resort last fall. And I definitely hadn’t ever been to Macon, where it turns out they love my kind.

I’ve hardly visited a city more dog-friendly myself.​

Where to stay in Macon with dogs​

And it all started with our charming and spacious bed and breakfast: the Burke Mansion.

Now, I’m a pup of exquisite taste, and this luxury B&B impressed even me, which is a pretty tough thing to do. You know how many places say they’re “pet-friendly” then follow you around like you’re a mere puppy who doesn’t have the decency of good manners and to know any better than to pee on the floor? (Yeah, I hate that, too.) This place was the exact opposite.

The owners Don and Pino are clearly friends of the nation within, and they spoiled me and made me feel like the queen that I am, allowing me to explore the turf and sleep on antiques more expensive than the whole of my house! Sure beats my dog bed (not that I have one of those…).

They also let me chill at the inn while Mom and Dad went to dinner at night, and I got to hear their backstory. The pair, who met in Southern California nearly 30 years back, moved to Macon a decade ago from Las Vegas after Googling “historic homes for sale” and finding that southern Georgia was a diamond in the rough when it came to real estate.

They struck gold with this old Victorian, built in 1887 by T.C. Burke, and lived here for eight years before deciding to open it as a bed and breakfast. It debuted earlier this year as the fanciest place to stay in Macon. Only the best for this Maltese, of course.

The three suites were, as Lonely Planet might say, “well-appointed” with Dad’s favorite amenities—L’Occitane; he’s a diva (where do you think I get it from?)—and gorgeous old fixtures Mom couldn’t stop obsessing over.

And there was no need for Mom and Dad to leave me each morning when they inevitably went to brunch, as Pino makes the best brunch spread in town, including a gluten-free menu for Paleo types like myself. (What? I have skin allergies.)

It couldn’t have been a more perfect spot for the three of us world travelers.

But, though I might have liked to have been, I wasn’t confined to Burke Mansion because many places in town were welcoming of my kind, thankfully.​

Pet-friendly spots in Macon​

We drank coffee at Jittery Joe’s.

We walked around downtown, stopping at Just Tap’d for a couple of beers.

We went hiking up on the mounds at Ocmulgee National Monument, where I got to let down my hair and run like the champion sprinter that I am.

We had the place to ourselves, too, and there’s nothing better than the stillness of an empty national park in my humble opinion.

On our final morning in Macon, we met up with a tiny human and his keepers at the sprawling Rose Hill Cemetery where allegedly some famous musician named Duane Allman was buried.

This might have been my favorite stop the entire trip—and it’s not because they honor those of the superior race either.

After the tiny human left for his nap, it was just us again, so made one last stop before hitting the road: the five-acre Macon Dog Park right on the fringe of the Mercer campus.

I don’t want to fluff my own fur, but I was pretty popular if I do say so myself.

On the way back north to Tennessee, Mom had a surprise planned. After we dropped Dad off at the Atlanta airport so he could go someplace called Arizona for a week, we dropped in to see our pals Mayhem and her parents.

Our moms are the best of buds, and while I’m normally not to keen on kids myself, Mayhem? She’s pretty cool and just a few months older than me and almost as wise, too.

We only got to spend a brief 24 hours with her and her sidekick Moxie, but she took us to her fort and the park near her house, and we had ourselves a good ol’ time.

Now that we’re essentially neighbors, I’m hoping to get down there to visit her more, because Georgia was pretty pawsome if I do say so myself, and Macon knows what’s going on, what with its treatment of pups like me.

Until next time,​

Ella​

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